Seventy years ago, a family in Colorado wrote to the American Unitarian Association, asking for help starting a local congregation, since the closest Unitarian church was too far away. From that simple request, a wave of new lay-led congregations followed, beginning with the Unitarian Fellowship of Boulder in 1948 and including the Unitarian Fellowship of the Peninsula in 1958.

May 13th: “What are we?”

Let’s celebrate our Diamond Anniversary! Our congregation was chartered by the American Unitarian Association on May 14th 1958, so we’re celebrating sixty years of sharing the light of liberal religion in Hampton Roads! (Click here for the celebration flyer.) Let’s talk about who we are, including the challenges we’ve faced and the milestones we’ve reached that are part of our collective story as the UUFP!

Special music will be provided by the UUFP Winds!

May 20th: “Where are we going?”

If history consists of the stories we tell of our past, and identity is shared by the stories we tell about our present, then vision is imagined in the stories we tell of our desired future. A year ago we named four essential core values we hold as a congregation; how do we now envision ourselves growing in wisdom, connecting in love, engaging in service and inspiring generosity?

We’ll also express our appreciation of our musicians and singers, with special music provided by the ChorUUs!

May 27th: “Living the Riddle and the Mystery”

We at the UUFP know that “building the Beloved Community” is a continual process that must be lived out with each action and interaction. But there is a mysterious element to this vision, buried in the Fourth Principle of Unitarian Universalism, an element that makes us a “religion” as well as a community. As we go forward, the “riddle and the mystery” we share can be the source of our greatest strength.

A Unitarian Universalist since the mid-1990s, and a K–12 educator since the early 2000s, Scott Kasmire serves our congregation as youth advisor, Fellowship Circle facilitator and member of the Leadership Development Committee. His interests include philosophy, world theologies, Star Trek and caffeine delivery systems. Scott lives in Norge.